BooksPosted by Stephen Thu, September 21, 2017 17:42:53I have just completed the draft of 'Leicester at Work' for Amberley Books, covering the principal occupations of the townsfolk from medieval times to the present day. The research has been fascinating and enjoyable.

Ironically, the most difficult chapter was the last one, on Leicester in the twenty-first century. Somehow, the perspective of time enables a clearer picture of the past than can be obtained of the present.

This moody and atmospheric photograph of the River Soar from West Bridge was taken by the artist and photographer George Henton. It encapsulates perfectly Leicester as it was in the heyday of the textile and hosiery industries. On the right is the West Bridge Mill, familiarly the home of Pex Socks.

EventsPosted by Stephen Thu, September 21, 2017 17:32:03I haven't planned it this way, but I seem to have a busy few days coming up. On Monday 25th September I will be giving a third 'Kibworth in Old Images' talk at Kibworth Community Library, and bringing along some of the standard Leiestershire texts and a couple of special books from my own library. There'll also be a glass or two of wine for everyone which will no doubt help my talk go down well!

Then on Tuesday 3rd October I am visiting the Broughton Astley Heritage Society, talking about the 'History of Leicester in 100 People'. That's followed by a lunchtime event in the Victoria Park Pavilion with Age UK, when the subject will be 'Leicester Behind the Facade', the sarting point being the Pavilion, from where I will take my auience down the turnpike and into the town.

BooksPosted by Stephen Tue, September 05, 2017 08:38:08British Retail and he men who shaped it is the book I have recently completed for Pen and Sword. It tells the stories of the men (and women) behind many of the familiar and famous High Street brands, and the backgrounds to their products and businesses. The book will be published in hardback some time next year.

EventsPosted by Stephen Mon, July 03, 2017 16:22:16I am looking forward to Thursday 17th August when I will be presenting an afternoon of nostalgia titled 'Kibworth in old images'. This is a fundraiser for the library (and not a means of selling my books!!)

Do please pass the word around. Our library is very successful with lots of new users and plenty of books being issued, but we still have to pay the bills!

I thoroughly expect - and hope - that I shall learn much more about Kibworth from those who attend. Tea and cakes are available!

BooksPosted by Stephen Thu, June 29, 2017 06:03:53Very many thanks to Mr Leicester for his kind review of my A-Z of Leicester which appeared in the Leicester Mercury recently. Mr Leicester highlights the Il Rondo nigtclub (my only entry under I) and mentions several other entries including Gary Lineker and the Liberty Statue.

There is, of course, a further connection between these two entries other than both being under 'L'. For many decades, Leicester City fans would salute the statue on their way to and from Filbert Street; and last year, when Leicester City won the premiership, the statue was adorned with all things blue.

This is my photograph of the statue on the day it was unveiled in its present location. You can read Mr Leicester's review here.

BooksPosted by Stephen Sat, June 17, 2017 17:34:01I cannot resist the temptation to see how my books are selling on Amazon which provides authors with various statistics. This is the graph for sales of my little pocket-sized book 'Leicester History Tour' which was published a few months ago.

Of course, statistics can be used to prove anything and interpreted in many ways, but it is interesting to see the peaks which occur every few days which take my book into the top 20,000 on Amazon out of over six million.

It also proves that Leicester sells! A few years ago, it was just a city in the East Midlands. now, for reasons we all know, it is on the worldwide stage.

ImagesPosted by Stephen Sat, June 17, 2017 17:10:29With the heatwave set to continue all next week with temperatures forecast to rise to 28C on Tuesday and Thursday, here's a sultry summer image from Kibworth. The view is from the A6 looking easterly across the West Langton Road towards Tur Langton.

I took this photograph just after dawn, with the mist still lying across the fields. Fortunately, this is not near the section of the A6 which was deemed an Air Quality Management Zone in June 2017, so this is the cool air of the countryside, not the Nitrous Oxide from the thousands of diesel engines trundling through every day.

BooksPosted by Stephen Mon, May 15, 2017 06:15:39The city of Leicester can boast a long and distinguished history and has
been at the very heart of the country's political and economic
development for over two millennia. Evidence of Roman occupation remains
at the Jewry Wall and Cardinal Wolsey lies buried in Leicester Abbey,
but the jewel in the city's proud historical crown was the discovery, in
2012, of the skeleton of Richard III lying beneath a car park.

The
city's stories can be found everywhere: from the Victorian mills and
textile factories to the bustle of shopping centres and markets, in
buildings, churches, parks, streets and alleyways, and in the people
themselves.

Local author Stephen Butt takes readers on their very own
A-Z tour around the city's history, exploring its nooks and crannies,
and along the way relating many a fascinating tale of the most
interesting people and places. Fully illustrated with photographs from
the past and present, this new A-Z guide to Leicester's history will
appeal to residents and visitors alike.

Introduction

Stephen Butt grew up in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset and gained his first degree from Durham University.

He worked as a Studio Manager with the BBC at Broadcasting House and with the BBC World Service before moving to BBC local radio and finally BBC Radio Leicester where he presented and produced a range of programmes. Later he became a Senior Broadcast Journalist and joined the station’s management team.

He now enjoys writing and historical research, with over twenty books in print which combine an academic background in local history with a practical interest in photography. Stephen's BA degree was in Psychology and his MA degree is in English Local History (University of Nottingham).

During 2009/10 Stephen provided production and location research support for Michael Wood's major BBC television series Story of England for which he organised the Kibworth Dig involving local families in digging more than fifty archaeological test pits. He also worked on Mayavision International's Great British Story: A People's History, which was broadcast on BBC2 and BBC4 in Summer 2012.

Stephen has served as Honorary Secretary of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society. In 2016 he was commissioned by Leicester City Council to provide the research and text for a new series of Heritage Panels.

He holds the Certificate in Local Government Administration and works as a Parish Clerk. He has also co-produced several short corporate videos for local government.